Lizzy Hawker celebrates victory in the 2011 Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc. Photo: Chiara Dendena

A top British ultrarunner has been crowned athlete of the year by an international body.

Lizzy Hawker was voted the top woman in the competition run by the International Association of Ultrarunners.

The Swiss-based four-times winner of the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc beat off opposition from 17 other top women ultrarunners to take the honours in the annual competition run by the association, which was formed in 1984 and represents member federations across the world.

Italian Giorgio Calcaterra took the men’s title, beating 13 other athletes in the vote, nominations for which are made by each member country’s federation.

The award may compensate for Hawker’s disappointment at having to abandon her Sky Dance challenge across Nepal in autumn after she lost vital gear, including satellite phone, maps, permits and compass.

The North Face-sponsored runner was first woman across the Chamonix finishing line in the gruelling UTMB, which was stretched to 170km (106-miles) last year after a rockfall led organisers to divert the route, circumnavigating the Mont Blanc massif through three countries, with 9,700m (31,824ft) of ascent.

Ms Hawker on hearing of her win in the IAU vote Tweeted: “Wow. A great honour and incredibly humbling to be nominated the IAU Athlete of the Year 2011.”

Five other British women were nominated for the award: Lucy Colquhoun, Emma Gooderham, Susan Harrison, Debbie Martin-Consani and Joanna Zakrzewski.

UK runner Ian Sharman was among nominees in the men’s category.

United Kingdom Athletics represents Britain on the IAU.

Ultrarunning represents any race longer than the traditional marathon length of 26 miles. Typical races are run over lengths of 50km, 100km, 50 miles and 100 miles. The International Association of Athletics Federations recognises 100km as a world record distance.